Well
by acethebatdog2039
Summary: Suicide is not chosen; it happens when pain exceeds resources for coping with pain. Post Epilogue, Justice League Unlimited/Batman Beyond. Teen for a reason, *Suicide* *Character Death* Part Two of the Truth Series.


"Well"

Acethebatdog2039

Post Epilogue, Justice League Unlimited/Batman Beyond

* * *

A/N:

**_Lyrics_**

_Terry's thoughts_

**Matt's thoughts**

**

* * *

  
**

_It wasn't something I did a lot anymore, praying. Only when I really needed to, like in the middle of a battle to save the world. Stuff like that. But, never at a funeral._

_

* * *

_

Terry sat in the pew with his eyes closed silent in prayer.

_Dear God, please watch over my family during these times and please forgive my brother. Please forgive me of my sins, the fact that I was unable to protect him from himself. Please take him into your heart, as you did with our father before him. I will not fail you again._

"Amen." Terry pulled himself out of the pew and walked down the middle anise of the church. His head hanging low in sadness.

"Be strong, Terry."

"Thank you, Father Patrick."

"Pick your head up, boy."

"Yes, Father."

* * *

One Week Ago

**I couldn't say I was very religious or that I beveled in God, but my mother did. She would take my brother, Terry and I, as kids to church. Terry was into it until our parents divorced. My mother is never going to forgive me. My brother either. Maybe God will have a few things to say to me once I get there. I guess it's a good time to find out.**

**

* * *

  
**

**_And with the state of affairs and the way that I was_****_  
I took a pistol from the closet  
I loaded a round, I opened my mouth  
Closed my eyes, said goodbye  
Then 'click'_**

**_

* * *

  
_**

The neighbors in the other apartments heard the gunshot. Soon there were at least five police officers, two medical officers, and Batman in the apartment.

"Matthew McGinnis, twenty three years old, gunshot wound to head, DOA." Officer Russell sighed. "Damn, my son is his age."

"Did you call his family?" Batman said standing over the body.

"The commissioner said he was going to, being friends of the family and all."

"McGinnis' older brother is the current CEO of Wayne Enterprises, Terry McGinnis. The kid has some family in high places." Batman stated.

"Yeah, kinda hard growing up with that over your head," Officer Russell sighed. "The neighbors said he was a quiet kid, never had too many people over, no loud music. Landlord said he paid his rent on time every month."

Batman spotted a piece of paper on the desk. "How did he kill himself?"

The coroner Catone spoke up.

"An M1911 pistol, he fired the round in his mouth." Catone, M.E. said.

"45 Caliber?"

"Yes, sir."

"Well, then I'm surprised that he even still has the back half his skull."

"From what I can tell here, he was still alive after he fired the one and only round. Blood lost did the rest. I'll know more once I get the autopsy done." The coroner said.

Batman pulled the note slowly from under Matt's head.

"Suicide note?" Officer Russell came closer.

"Yeah, a short one," Batman began to read the note out loud;

'Cuz I can never eat, I can never sleep, and I can never think of anything but?

"Well, Well"

Yeah, I can never eat, I can barely breathe, and I can barely speak of anything but?

"Well, Well, Well"

Because no one  
Ever  
Really  
Could love me  
No one  
Ever should

Yeah, no one  
Ever  
Really  
Should love me  
No one  
Ever would'

* * *

_I never thought that it would come to this. My brother killing himself. I, being the one to tell my poor mother what her baby did to himself; I couldn't let a police officer do it. I held her as she cried and gave her words that I knew had no comfort at all. All she could ask was 'why?' and I had no answer._

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* * *

  
_

Bruce knew once Terry came home from his mothers he would lock himself in the cave, it was something that Bruce was known to do in his day.

"Terry, this isn't easy to say, but this is an open shut case."

Terry sat at the massive computer with the pictures of Matt's apartment all over the screen.

"Terry, he killed himself. There's nothing more you can do for him." Bruce came to stand behind his son. "You now have to take care of your mother. She needs you now."

"I just want to know why," Terry's voice was so soft Bruce almost missed it. "I want to know why."

"You may never find out."

"Ever thing we do has to be for one reason or another. You just don't do something because it's a good idea. I want to why and I want to know his reasons."

* * *

_I knew Bruce wouldn't leave me alone, or let me be alone in a room. Maybe he was afraid of what I would do. I went to check on my mother the next day, from what my aunts have told me she hasn't uttered a word since I came to tell her of Matt's death. If my brother weren't already dead, I would have killed him. Our poor mother._

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* * *

  
_

_I wouldn't put it pass Bruce to put a tail on me. However, Superman in Gotham isn't smart. I could make Superman in jeans and t-shirt any day of the week. Clark thinks he's smart by walking around as a normal citizen, this is my city, and he's too close. I made him for a tail seconds outside my mother's door._

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* * *

  
_

Terry pulled his cell out and dialed the number from heart.

"Do me favor?"

"And what would that be?"

"Call the dog off. I'm not going to do anything stupid, Bruce."

The old man sighed. "Very well."

* * *

_After Clark was gone I was free to move about my city has I pleased. I checked on a few leads, but not as Batman, just as Terry McGinnis. When I walked in the station, I was taken to the __commissioner's office._

_

* * *

  
_

"What are you doing here McGinnis?" Commissioner Jimmy Gordon said from behind his desk.

"You know why, Jimmy"

"Your brother," Terry nodded. "Terry, I can't give out that kind of information, even if you're a friend of my mother's."

"This is my nice way of asking; I could just wait till dark and get it myself."

"And I could throw you in jail."

"You're mother use to say that as well, it never worked."

Jimmy sighed.

"Terry, it's an open and shut case."

"You're the second person to tell me that."

"It's because it's true. If you don't believe me go talk to Officer Russell."

"Fine"

Terry's hand was on the door handle when Jimmy spoke one last time. "I'm sorry for your loss."

* * *

_Officer Russell wasn't much help. Nevertheless, I saw him at the scene. I did talk him into letting me see Matt's body at the morgue. The autopsy was done, nothing on his toxic screen, other than the bullet hole in his head he was a healthy twenty three year old. I was missing something both as Batman and as Terry McGinnis._

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* * *

  
_

_I just couldn't stop thinking why. Why did he do it? He wasn't in debt, college was paid for, rent, and everything was taken care of. Matt didn't have many friends, he wasn't in any trouble, and there was no girlfriend. Nothing, nothing to explain why. A mental illness maybe? Matt never showed signs of them, maybe depression._

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* * *

  
_

It was around three am when Terry pulled himself from the chair in the cave; Bruce was waiting in the office for him.

"Shouldn't you be in bed?" Terry questioned

"Shouldn't you be making funeral plans?"

"There isn't going to be one." Bruce raised an eyebrow.

"No matter what Matt killed himself and that is seen as a sin and against the fifth commandment."

"And?"

"And, my mother is siding with the church with this one, no funeral. He's going to be cremated and the ashes are going to be buried next to my father."

"You're not going to get to say goodbye."

"I've said my goodbyes." Terry started to walk out of the office.

"What of closure?"

Terry stopped.

"I may never get it"

* * *

_It took a few days before I could go clean Matt's apartment out, the police wanted to keep it closed off for a few more days, just in case. Not like, they would have much of a case anyway. Officer Russell let me in the apartment. I've only been in his apartment once or twice, not counting the time as Batman on the night of his death. It was cold, like it was missing life. Matt's life._

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* * *

  
_

"If you need anything sir just let me know." Russell said closing the door to the apartment.

The apartment was just void of all life. The young man that made it so, long gone, and now only his things just taking up space in the void.

Terry started cleaning the apartment farthest away from Matt's desk as he staying clear of the place where his brother had taken his life away in a flash.

* * *

_The week went by as I cleaned Matt's apartment during the day, and cleaned the city of crime at night. By the end of the week everything but Matt's desk was done. I couldn't look at it let alone touch it. However, it had to be done._

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* * *

  
_

_Once again, Officer Russell let me in the apartment. It was just as cold as the first time I was in there. The desk, the large oak desk that I had given my brother for his birthday one year; he told me that he wanted a desk like the one Bruce has in his office. So, I got him one that so close to being Bruce's desk Matt thought it was Bruce's. The place where my brother killed himself, out of all the places in the apartment my brother picked the one place that he loved the most. His college life and post college life in this desk and now it made the one clue to the inside of my brother's mind. I just have to open it._

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* * *

  
_

Terry pulled the chair out from under the oak desk and sat down. He closed his eyes as sank into the chair.

"Dear God"

He was sitting in the same spot his brother did the end he saw that it was over.

The oak desk showed signs of its owner's deeds; a stained oak desk showed signs of what was once a large pool of blood. Matt's blood.

Terry opened one of the drawers on the desk to start the cleaning.

Old notebooks, pens, schoolbooks, paper, and other office supplies where in the first drawer.

After over an hour of cleaning Terry came across the last drawer of the desk, the one at the very bottom of the left side, the one with the lock.

Fearing that it was locked Terry pulled quickly on the drawer being surprised that it was open.

* * *

_It was at that second I knew what was in that drawer was my answer to everything. To why, to the truth, the answers was in that drawer. I sat there with the answers to everything and I could not bring myself to open it, but the thought of my brother sitting here at his desk dead made me open it. Papers of all types, genetic tests, government papers, and a profile page of someone with no name or photo where in the desk. Had Matt uncovered some government secret? A phone number had caught my eye, a number I knew. Bruce's cell number, it was at this point I started to question everything. Did Bruce know of Matt's plan? If he did, why didn't he tell me? It was time to get some answers._

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* * *

  
_

"We have to talk," Terry threw the papers from Matt's desk onto Bruce's.

"About?"

"My brother," Terry sat in one of the leather chairs. "Tell me the truth Bruce. Did you know what he was going to do?"

Bruce sat back in his chair resting his hands in his lap. "I did not."

"Then why is your phone number on the top of a DNA test?"

Bruce sighed. "Terry, he found out. About Warren, about Project Batman Beyond, everything, he wanted answers and I couldn't give them to him."

"So, you sent him to some who could?"

"I did."

"You sent him to Waller."

* * *

_Amanda was my last hope for answers. I took this encounter with her a bit differently than the one I had with her a few months ago. I cannot afford to lose my tempter with her this time. There is too much riding on this._

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* * *

  
_

"Terry! Hello!"

"Ms. Waller"

"Oh, stop that. Come sit next to me." Amanda patted the sofa sweetly.

"No thank you. I'm fine standing."

"What can I do for you, Terry?"

"I have some questions for you Ms. Waller."

"Call me Amanda."

"Excuse me?"

"Terry, please, call me Amanda." She grinned. "But, you said you have questions. Questions about what?"

"About my brother"

"Ah, yes, Matthew." She rested her hands on top of her cane.

"Bruce said that he sent Matt to you once he found out about our father."

"Yes, your little brother came to me."

"What did you say?"

"I told him the truth, Terry." She said. "About everything"

Terry raised an eyebrow "Everything?"

"Yes, everything, from why I did it, to that your parents were going to be killed." She paused for a second. "I believe that piece of information hit him the hardest."

Terry's mouth fell open. "You told him that?" He ran a hand through his hair and started to pace.

"Do you remember when you eight years old after the movie your parents took you too?"

"Yes, that was before Matt was born."

"Yes, eight months before your brother was born."

Terry stopped pacing.

"Your brother was never meant to be part of this world. If my assassin did her job correctly there would have been one child from Mary and Warren McGinnis, not two."

"You didn't say that to him didn't you?"

"I did"

"Then you are the reason why he's dead."

* * *

_Not only is Waller to blame for Bruce's blood running through my veins but for Matt taking his own life. My poor brother, to think you do not matter in this world, to have to question everything, even your own life. Everything in the world seemed a bit dimmer without him. It feels as if a part of me has died with him._

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_It is never easy to lose someone you love, but if you have, support of people that love the pain does not seem that bad at the end of the night. After I came home from Waller's I broke down telling Bruce what she had said to me about my brother._ _Bruce may have done the most fatherly thing he has ever done for me, he held me as I cried. It was the first time since Matt had taken his own life that I cried for my brother. Bruce may not be good at comforting people but he was right there when I needed him, I only wish Matt didn't keep me at arm's length. But, only time will tell if the wound will heal._

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Suicide is not chosen; it happens when pain exceeds resources for coping with pain.

* * *

**A/N: Yes, this is the first story I've done in a very long time and it's a bit depressing; it's more than a bit. The song I used is called 'Well' by Hurt. The quote is from a web page I will post the site on my page. R&R guys, thanks for sticking this one out with me. **

**Ace**


End file.
